| Summary: | The White Paper of the Commission on European Governance focussed attention on the notion of good governance in the European Union. One of the possible criticisms on this White Paper is that it does not define the concept in any meaningful way. At the same time the Commission seems to try to re-invent the wheel without taking experiences from national and international legal systems into account. This book will approach the notion of good governance from three different angles. First it establishes whether it is a meaningful notion at all by taking a closer look at the parameters of good governance. What do we mean by the concept and is it appropriate to apply it in the current discussion on EU governance? What contribution is made in terms of deepening the discussion on each of the substantive criteria it enumerates? And, last but not least, what can we learn from the application of the concept in the national and international legal orders? Secondly, the authors look at the institutional translation of the criteria of good governance. Does the concept contribute to our thinking on issues such as the institutional balance and and the horizontal and vertical delegation of powers as well as an (extra-) institutional role for civil society and for national actors? In other words: in what way could or should the notion of good governance help shape the future institutional configuration of the Union. In a third dimension, the concept may be analysed in relation to a number of substantive issues. Does the concept play a role in foreign, security and defence policy, in police and judicial cooperation or in economic or environmental law? And if so, how is it taken into account in these areas?
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